Free Venice Beachhead March 2015

WHAT’S INSIDE: March 8: International Women’s Day - 1 Letters; Obit: Phillip Lord - 2 Curfew at the beach in Venice - 3 TEDx event in Venice - 4 Car Lifts in Venice?; Net Neutrality - 5 Pro Choice – Fight Rape, Fight Racism - 6 Over-development updates - 7 Paul Beethoven; Earl Newman - 8 This paper is a poem - 9 The Official 400th Edition Song - 10 Community Calendar - 11 Beachhead’s 400th edition party - 12

March

2015 #401 P.O. BOX 2, VENICE, CA. 90294 • www.venicebeachhead.org • free@venicebeachhead.org • 310-281-6935

Happy International Women’s Day: Celebrating the Women of Venice

Long Live Milllie Mims!

By Suzy Williams In honor of International Women’s Day and the corresponding Beachhead March issue, I would like to shed some fresh Venice daylight on a remarkable and real woman, Millie Mims, the nourishing Goddess of the Boardwalk. Many of you know that she serves up a delicious organic vegetarian soup, (she gathers the yummy comestibles from local farmers’ market surpluses), hot rice and a big salad every day, rain or shine, to the hungry people of Venice, just about a hundred a day (every day except Thursday).

Whole Foods donates really great bread.

She attracts volunteers to help her serve, but she does much of the cooking and schlepping herself.

That kind of tangible daily devotion to sheer human kindness is something that should (and often does!) inspire us all. She is interested not only in feeding people good food, but also in nurturing positive energy and connectedness. She inspires us to be kind first and foremost in life.

Last month I attended a benefit for Millie and her organization, New Life Society. It was hosted by the handsome Robert Walsh, treasurer for the aforementioned NLS, at Big Red Sun, a beautiful hippie store on Rose that sells classy succulent planters and such. It was very heartening to see lots of young, rather well-off folk forking over $125.00 each to party down with Millie Mims.

So if you happen to be down on your luck and could use some TLC, or if you’re flush and are inclined to share your good fortune, drop on by Navy and Ocean Front Walk. Come by around 4 P.M. and partake in the largesse of Life, as exhibited by Herself, you know who.

Rock

 On, Lisa

 Green!

By Greta Cobar Community activism and participation in the struggle for equality for all members of our community are Deborah Lashever’s trademarks. It is an honor to commemorate International Women’s Day by spotlighting her efforts in the Beachhead.

Beachhead: How did you and Venice find each other?

Deborah Lashever: I’ve been coming to Venice since I was 13. As soon as I could drive, I would be here all the time. In 2009, when my Mother died and I got a little inheritance, I figured the best thing to do was to open a store in Venice. And so came to be the Bohemian Exchange on Abbot Kinney boulevard.

That was way before Abbot Kinney was like it is now.

It was really nice, with the little independent boutiques. First Fridays were a lovely time to stroll down the street, and the locals loved it. I used to make up to half of the rent for the store during First Fridays.

Then GQ called Abbot Kinney the coolest block in America, and that’s when it was all over. The invasion of the food trucks followed, and they wouldn’t go away. It’s what I call slash and burn gentrification, and we’re in the middle of it.

BH: When the Abbot Kinney boulevard crowd changed from locals to Hollywood wanna-be yuppies and hipsters who drove here trying to become cool by hanging out on the “coolest block,� the Bohemian Exchange store was squeezed out of existence by the brand-name flagship stores that all of a sudden sprouted with the same goal as the wanna-be crowd: to become cool and popular by association. All of a sudden the bohemian vibe of Venice that attracted the out-of-town crowd and stores in the first place was not welcome on Abbot Kinney Blvd. And neither was the Bohemian Exchange.

So what did Deborah Lashever choose to do?

Hold on to the lease, rent the place out, minimize expenses by living on a boat, and dedicate her time and energy to the vulnerable individuals in our community.

From volunteering for the Venice Community Housing to running the storage facility for the houseless at the beach, to being an integral part of Occupy Venice for 3 years, from helping run such events as the Sleepouts at Beyond Baroque and the Jazz at Palms Court, Deborah has truly become a shero in Venice. – Continued on page 6

By Greta Cobar

Lisa Green is one of the Goddesses who makes Venice the colorful, intricate, exciting and interesting place that it is. She has been displaying her art on Ocean Front Walk, by Dudley, for about five years while at the same time being an ever-present advocate for love, justice and equality at our community meetings. To celebrate the 104th anniversary of the March 8 International Women’s Day, the Beachhead chose to spotlight her, out of the thousands of awesome Venice women.

Beachhead: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Lisa Green: International Women's Day is a call to unite, to honor, to embrace, and act as strong willful and passionate women. Our voices have enormous power and now more than ever we as women, all connected on Earth, must assist in shifting the balance of power towards equality.

BH: What brought you here?

LG: About ten years ago, I went through one and a half years of cathartic life-changing events that ultimately brought me here all the way from Florida. I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my mother died during my recovery, my long-term relationship came to an end, and I resigned from my job as a corporate financial analyst. I had to re-engineer myself and gave away almost everything I had, except for my dog Tiki. The two of us made the journey to Venice about eight years ago.

BH: Why did you choose Venice?

LG: I went through a spiritual awakening and I was unequivocally drawn to Venice as the place that I had to go to if I wanted to continue growing. It is the place I chose to find myself in the new chapter of my life. I knew that Venice was next in my journey.

BH: And where did that journey take you?

LG: When I came here I started to re-define myself as a more politically active artist. I joined socialist groups and participated in peace marches, did homeless outreach on skid row, became an active Green Party member. At first I was still holding a corporate job, as a financial analyst, in El Segundo. I was really good at what I was doing. But my integrity did not allow me to work for a screwed-up boss, and most of them are. – Continued on page 6

2 • March 2015 • Free Venice Beachhead

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– Anonymous

Greta Cobar Who do you pretenders think you are, anyway?

Probably just a bunch of losers that inherited a shack in the 'hood from your mothers when she croaked back in '82 when average home prices in Venice were just 3o,ooo bucks! Besides, Abbott Kinney borrowed the money to build Venice from gangsters!

Please stop jerking everyone off with all your liberal & pretentious bullshit about Venice! Homeless motherfuckers will respect you more!

Anonymous Anonymous Eileen Paris Larry and Kathy Sullivan Wisconsin Historical Society Occupy Venice

– Albert West the Elder

In Memory Of Phillip Edward Lord Inventor, Medic, World War II Vet (Normandy) 2/21/1925 - 1/28/2015

By Sam Abbes “Lives do not have plots, for the most part they accumulate events, day by day like a stack of old newspapers. But sometimes someone glimpses a fixed point in the flux of things, a hard certainty around which the rest of life turns like the pages of a good novel.”

– Phillip Lord Phillip Lord, 5 feet 1 inch and about 120 pounds, aged to the ripe age of 89 years on earth, went back home on Wednesday, January 28, pining away to the broken heart syndrome – his body surrendered to respiratory defeat. Phillip Lord was born in Athens, Pennsylvania, on February 21, 1925.

Phillip Lord was a resident of Venice for 51 years at 15 Rose Ave #5 in Venice.

In 1943, after high school, Phillip Lord joined the army and landed in Utah beach, Normandy, France, days after the invasion in 1945. He participated in the liberation of France and the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany. He saw horrific things.

When pressed about Normandy, he would rather not talk about the trials and hardships.

Phillip Lord subsequently went to Palmers College of Chiropractor under the GI bill. He was nominated inventor of the year in 1990, and granted patent 4,633,899 for “Cap a leak”, a microencapsulated technology to seal leaks on a roof, to help facilitate the preservation of repairs and cost-saving devices.

He was very fluent in French, German, Italian, and the proof was in the English pudding: Phillip the philologist. He was good with words. Flowing poetic famous quote from Phillip: “Meaningless words are like raindrops on a tin roof ... their only function is to hasten the sleep of the listener.”

Phillip Lord was like a fish drawn to water when it came to languages – it was an art of communication and theatre. He was an avid body builder in the ‘60s with Jack Golds at the original Muscle Beach. He was an avid chess player, always ahead of his opponents.

He had resolutness bordering on doggedness and when he made his mind up to do something, he did it. Like taking a six week bicycle trip from Rochester, New York, to the Santa Monica pier in 1963, when Phillip Lord was 38 years old, 5 feet 1 inch and about 175 pounds. He used the trip for multi purposes and unwittingly lost 30 pounds while getting to know people along the journey from the East to the Pacific ocean.

Phillip Lord learned orinthology and astronomy on his journey, while sleeping under the dark night skies, and trees from nature’s university.

Phillip Lord’s friends in Rochester, New York, were laughing at him when he told them he was embarking on a trip to Santa Monica. There was talk that he needed a tricycle, because at 5 feet 1 inch, the bike frame was bigger than Phillip Lord.... Undaunted, he took criticism as a compliment, hopped on his 10speed English Raleigh bike, shifted to low speed, and after six weeks of paddling he was on Ocean Avenue, at the Santa Monica pier. When Phillip Lord embarked on the journey he had such a stomach that he couldn’t bend, but that changed after he lost 30 pounds. The entire adventure cost him $130.

In October 2008, when he got sick, Phillip Lord fell victim to the injustice of ageism and old age bias by the Los Angeles Public Guardian under the guise of dementia, which was not proven. Conservator was started by the Pacific Convalescent center and this was a death sentence for Phillip Lord, who overcame surmountable obstacles in his 89 years of cherished earthly life. He will be dearly missed by cousin Dorothy Riley, numerous friends and all the people he knew.

VNC’S QUESTIONABLE MOTIONS Dear Beachhead, I am concerned with some of the motions passed by the Venice Neighborhood Council at the February 17 meeting. First, the mechanical car lifts in Venice are nothing but an ugly joke, as they will supply only 30 additional parking spaces for the up to 100,000 visitors who come to Venice on a busy day. The car lifts will provide expensive parking to very few while being an eyesore and providing noise pollution to many, many others.

Another concern that I have is over the proposed widening and illumination of the bike path. As someone who rides on that path on a daily basis and considers it to be the best thing about Venice, I am not excited about finding another route while construction is taking place – which could last many, many months. Making the bike path unavailable for any amount of time would be a major inconvenience for residents and tourists alike. Going from Venice to Santa Monica without using the bike path would all of a sudden become a very dangerous affair.

I also don’t see widening it as a solution to any of our problems. Yes, on the weekends people who ride it for the first time (or who ride for the first time!) are a danger to us all. However, we are stuck with them, and a wider path would not lessen the danger they pose. It comes down to riding smart and paying attention. Those of us who ride daily know this very well. However, here comes Shelly Gomez, been in Venice two years, never seen her on a bike. And she decided to introduce a motion before the VNC to widen the bike path!

It’s unfortunate when our grassroot representatives do not represent our community. Someone like Shelly Gomez, who is not familiar with the bike path, should not take a stand on this particular issue.

Sincerely, Aura Goldburg

Free Venice Beachhead • March 2015 • 3

Venice Beach: The People’s Beach

By Peggy Lee Kennedy Why did the City of Los Angeles close the people’s beach from midnight to five in the morning? I have heard it all: the gangs, the homeless, drugs, prostitution, et cetera, et cetera. The truth is that Ordinance 164209, amending LAMC 63.44 in 1988, does not say why the City of Los Angeles closed access to the beach in Venice from midnight to five in the morning.

And, according to California State law, a municipality or a personal land owner cannot deny access to our coastal waters. Sure, there are exceptions like a giant tidal wave, a terrible tsunami, or maybe a nuclear disaster.

In case you haven’t been paying attention or you are new to Venice, there is a process to restricting access to the beaches in the State of California dictated by the California Coastal Act. You first must obtain a Coastal Development Permit (CDP), and recent court findings have upheld this. Even if there is a nuisance, the applicant first must prove a valid reason to restrict access to the coastal waters and go through the CDP process. This involves the public, by the way. Creating a beach curfew that has a maximum restriction to coastal access is simply a violation of the Coastal Act, which requires maximum access.

The City never ever obtained approval to close the beach in any way. Over and again the City has said that it does not need a CDP. I guess some might want you to believe that there is a nuisance so great that the City of Los Angeles can-over ride State law. Wrong.

There is a provision in the Coastal Act regarding nuisances, but you can’t use it to negate the CDP requirement. I do think those remaining spent fuel rods at San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant are very concerning. And Diablo Canyon is scary. But let’s get real: this is about homeless people being on the beach next to properties with skyrocketing values into the millions of dollars.

I am so sick and tired of the City feeding us Orwellian crap about how they are taking steps to end homelessness when the budget is simply telling another, more honest story. The City’s 2014-2015 budget dedicates 43.4 percent of the general fund to the Police Department. That is approximately 1.3 billion dollars.

B I L L I O N. Guess how much went to the Housing Department? That would be ZERO. There are a few things I learned from my life as an accountant. One is that if it’s not in the budget, don’t expect to spend money on it. After reviewing the numbers and following the money (OK it’s a simple pie chart found online), the truth is the City of Los Angeles really does believe we can police our way out of homelessness.

On the same shameless beat, the city goes on allowing the big box million dollar “home” developments in the Venice Coastal Zone on top of a demolished community character and lost forever affordable housing. There is a pretty profit for the few and foreseeable increased property taxes for the City. This is

what the city has been protecting now for years.

Los Angeles is one of the least affordable places to live in the country and the recent “Poverty and Inequality Report 2014” by Stanford University reveals that the official poverty rate has increased dramatically. Fear mongering is in lock step with this. Be afraid; be very afraid when you hear: “We need more police.” If you or your friends are saying this, please check for zombie bites on your bodies. Los Angeles City has the third largest police force in the country and it is increasingly becoming more militarized, dwarfed only by a more militarized NYPD. But I do digress. And the percentage of New York City’s budget allocated to its police department is substantially less than the City of Los Angeles.

There are some monies from the County that the city of L.A. uses for homeless issues. I understand that Venice’s allocation is being spent on the over-the-top hazmat cleanings on the Ocean Front Walk (and elsewhere) so you are safe from even a chair on the OFW. And the City has been focusing on confiscating homeless belongings, including hard to carry around tarps and tents, because they may be violating the disability act by blocking a sidewalk. We wouldn’t want the disabled homeless people doing that, especially since there is an overwhelming amount of this country’s disabled population living homeless. Venice is no exception.

One L.A. City expenditure executed on homeless people, which goes completely unreported, is the unimaginable amount of tickets being issued

for minor infractions. They are handed out like candy by the LAPD - possibly to reflect some kind of increase in “nuisance” crime on our beach.

Please, stop and meditate on what the real solutions to homelessness are. It is not excessive ticketing by a police department being allocated over 43 percent of the City’s budget and it certainly is not closing public access to the entire Los Angeles City coast line.

Venice is the people’s beach. Let’s take it back.

4 • March 2015 • Free Venice Beachhead

Inside the TEDx Conference - A Speaker’s Perspective

By Brad Kay Sunday, February 22, the former Laddie Dill art studio at Palms and Electric Avenue in Venice was transformed into a swanky TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) venue, with a high vaulted ceiling, stage, large video screen, grand piano off to one side, and enough room for me, Suzy Williams and 350 other lucky ticket holders. Seven hundred more were turned away, waiting hopefully at their iPhones for ‘no-shows' tickets. On Oscar Sunday, yet. THAT should indicate how popular this TED business is.

As the day of the event approached, I was past being thoroughly convinced it was a Big Deal. My blood was up. I had my little entertainment rehearsed completely (I was practicing it right up till the ascent of the gallows). I chose my clothes carefully, and with replete advice from my couturier, Marbo of Mar Vista (Marea Boylan to you): A vintage blue serge suit, immaculately cleaned; brown, red and white zig-zag tie with a gold clip; white dress shirt, blue trompe-del’oiel cufflinks; dark brown pork-pie hat; new black leather shoes. And a haircut.

I only harp on my dress in detail because of the stark contrast to everybody else: There was exactly NOBODY attired as was I - in other words, for a formal event, a forum for the Best and the Brightest, where the latest Big Ideas were aired; the ultimate New Technology on display. I repeat: It was Oscar Sunday, the tickets cost a hundred bucks, and there were seven hundred turnaways. The fortunate ticket holders got an elaborate lanyard and placard with their names printed elegantly thereon and instant access to the free Whole Foods food and other goodies in the booths around the patio.

It was practically a substitute Academy Awards, lacking only the red carpet. And YET: The men dressed in T-shirts, jeans, cutoffs, sandals; the women all were in baggy clothes, again, jeans – not a dress or decent pair of gams to be seen – no makeup. In short, everyone was as casually garbed as if they were making a quick beer run to Wal-Mart during half-time. I don’t appall easily, but THIS was appalling! What were they thinking? I expected more from this TED crowd.

The actual TED show ran with clockwork precision. Each speaker’s slides, sound effects, et cetera were timed to the second and faultlessly executed. The staff was unfailingly professional, polite and chipper, even though pressed from all sides. My talk, for instance, involved a little stage business, with a toy piano moved onstage. The staffers took the trouble to rehearse the bit till it was right, and when the time came, it was done with grace and swiftness. Their efficiency impressed me to no end. When it started to rain, there were umbrellas for EVERYONE (!). There was a great “TEDXVB” (Venice Beach) logo all lit up on the wall behind the presenters. I counted 74 light bulbs in it.

The talks ranged in subject from a fascinating hologram deployment, to a pep talk on feeding the homeless, to re-purposing old airplane parts for architecture, to new ways to halt the spread of infectious diseases, to an electric skateboard demonstration, and, eclectically, much more. All most inspiring and mindopening. However, the speakers’ connection to the theme of the conference, “Think Small,” was tangential at best. I think they mostly recycled their regular talks and shoehorned in “Think Small” where it seemed appropriate. I was chagrined, because I had developed my whole talk around “Think Small,” and was vaguely disappointed that the other speakers didn't.

The conference was divided into three one-hour segments, with fifteen-minute intermissions between, when we could stretch our legs and partake of the

amenities. During these, there was “background music” playing both inside and outside the hall. To me, there is no such thing as background music - I hear every note. You would think at a “haute” gathering like this, the subliminal music would be the very best, most mind-stimulating music in the world: Beethoven.

Louis Armstrong. Edith Piaf. Chuck Berry. Caruso.

Bix. Anita O’Day. Mozart. And so forth. Instead, it was the blandest, most forgettable and annoying “Indie Rock” imaginable. It failed, even as music you are not supposed to notice. I stifled the old gag reflex.

And then I gave my performance, the last act in the second round. If I dare say so, it went exceedingly well. For weeks, my whole being was focused on those seventeen allotted minutes. I would get only one shot at them, and I’d better not fail. Over-preparation paid off: I hardly stumbled; the piano was wonderful; I was even cute. I made the most of it. I could see several audience members standing at the end. Maybe they were stretching. (The performance eventually will be seen on YouTube.

I promise to keep you informed when that will be).

Afterward, everything came up roses. The TED staff was all smiles; I got the “high five” from every direction. I was, as the old vaudevillians used to say, “in clover.”

Even then, there was a fly in the ointment. It pains me to say it but: At least forty separate people approached me, pumped my hand, and smiling, said, “Dooood! Your talk was AWESOME!! ” I inwardly winced after the third repetition, and went on inwardly wincing.

Again: This crowd represents the Best and the Brightest. The most apt brains available. They Darwinianally selected themselves to be there, beating out the competition by a ratio of three-to-one, eschewing even the Oscars. And yet. And still. Is “AWESOME!!” the only

word left to these poor adjectively-deprived blighters?

I regretted that I didn’t bring an ample supply of “Awesome” cards. (see below).

I didn’t attend the after-party at Bank of Venice. I live only a block and a quarter from the venue. I walked home in the rain, toting the toy piano. There was a power outage on my block, so I returned to a completely dark house, except for Suzy Williams and a couple of candles. So I lit some more candles, got out the 78s, cranked the wind-up phonograph, and Suzy and I reveled in a concert by Sir Harry Lauder. We partied like it was 1899.

I am exceedingly grateful to Cynthia Rogers and Erin Stumpf, who (figuratively!) held my hand and were my guides throughout the experience; and Tom Sewell who sicced them on me.

Free Venice Beachhead • March 2015 • 5

Mechanical Car Lifts in Venice?

By Ilana Marosi FEB 17, 2015 Venice - the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) approved the addition of thirty (30) automated car lifts at the surface parking lot located at Windward Ave and Speedway, Venice Beach. The 30 automated/hydraulic car lifts will ONLY increase parking capacity from 38 to a MEASLY 68 spaces!

"The most important issue facing Venice is parking and, tonight, we helped alleviate the lack of parking right at the Windward Circle," offered President Mike Newhouse. "This kind of NUTS (and bolts) problem-solving is at the heart of why we have grass roots representation here in Los Angeles with neighborhood councils." [Thanx, Mike, we think it's NUTS, too!]

Why is the VNC endorsing a private entity to operate the mechanical car lifts being proposed at Windward and Speedway? They will be adding spaces for a private company to pocket the $$$ - so, what does that do to benefit our community?

Where does it end? What if a neighbor wants to build a car lift parking lot within two blocks of the beach, or anywhere else in Venice, for that matter? Is VNC going to endorse that?

Isn't that playing right into the hands of the city by legitimizing the CAR LIFT DEAL (near Abbot Kinney) which the City has been accepting proposals on????? Meanwhile, the City continues to approve commercial developments across Venice WITHOUT PARKING (hundreds of 'virtual' "grandfathered" spaces per year) which only serves to make the situation cumulatively worse. Surely if our representative Mike Bonin and the City Council are serious about solving this parking problem, they would put a halt on these damaging approvals UNTIL a viable solution is formulated and activated. Thirty PRIVATE spaces does not provide a solution make.

This most recent proposal could be the worst precedent EVER!!!

THIS VOTE WILL SET A PRECEDENT FOR CAR LIFTS IN VENICE - PERIOD - IS THIS WHAT WE WANT? 30 CAR LIFTS WILL ONLY MAKE 30 EXTRA PARKING SPOTS -- PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION TO SEND A MESSAGE TO COUNCILMAN MIKE BONIN - NO CAR LIFTS IN VENICE! LET'S STOP THIS NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! https://www.change.org/p/mike-bonin-no-car-lifts-invenice

Logical solutions are needed to the parking problem in Venice. These solutions could include expansion of public transportation; more and safer bike lanes; as well as possible utilization of near-by parking lots (schools, churches) with shuttle service between the lots and the beach here in Venice.

Net Neutrality Update: WE WON!

By Anthony Castillo In January the Beachhead ran my article on Net Neutrality and the non role Google was taking in the fight to stop the corporate takeover of the internet. On Thursday, February 26, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held its highly anticipated vote on Net Neutrality. The vote pitted big telecom companies like Comcast and Verizon against true grassroots organizing. And in an historic victory, organized citizens beat organized money! The vote was three Democrats in favor to two Republicans against treating the internet as a public utility under Title II of the Communication Act. When the voice vote was held and the motion passed, the gallery of fighters for a free and open internet gave the FCC commissioners a standing ovation.

When was the last time you can recall that any regulatory body of the government received one of those?

This huge victory was a long time in the making, spanning over ten years. Organizations such as Credo Action, Free Press, Center for Media Justice, Sum of Us, Open Media and many, many more along with the likes of Netflix, mobilized literally millions of folks just like you and me to write, call, comment and picket in favor of a single tiered, one speed for all, rich or poor internet. After FCC chairman and former cable company lobbyist Tom Wheeler introduced new rules in April of 2014 that would have created a fast lane, slow lane, tiered internet, the outcry from the public was a resounding NO! I guess after Thursday’s vote Tom Wheeler can kiss that cushy cable company job after he leaves the FCC good bye? He didn't change his mind on his own. We made him blink. It was also our

voices that made the President speak out in favor of Net Neutrality late in the game. But of course we need to stay vigilant because the corporate telecom pushback has already begun. They don't take kindly to not getting their way in D.C. But for now let us all savor this very sweet victory over corporate power. Hipsters, your iPhones are safe for now.

All of this leads me to think about how many more battles that are currently ongoing we could be winning if we just get motivated, educated, organized and mobilized. The laundry list is almost endless. For instance here in our beloved Venice the battle to stop greedy gentrification, ending the demonization of the homeless, open beach access, stopping our procorporate, prodevelopment City Council representative Mike Bonin from selling out Ven-

ice even more than he already has. Better yet, we could find a viable, progressive candidate to run against him in the next election who would voice the concerns of the Venice Abbot Kinney had envisioned. It is all possible. And now that we still have the tool of the internet at our disposal, what's stopping us?

6 • March 2015 • Free Venice Beachhead

Image below: Pro Choice Artist: Medusa Offset, 1989; United States; 3910 Courtesy of: Center for the Study of Political Graphics

Lisa

 Green

– Continued from page 1

– Continued from page 1

DL: It’s really important for me to do this work. It hurts me so much to see injustice, especially to vulnerable people. I can’t not do anything. It kind of all started with my Open Letter to the Community that the Beachhead published in April 2012. It was in response to the first police sweep on 3rd Ave. and Rose on March 7, 2012, which, as I stated then, lead to the devastation of 50 people and everything they had, which wasn’t much. I decided then that I can’t let this happen, not on my watch.

BH: How did you leap from that to being an artist on Ocean Front Walk?

LG: I was an artist my whole life – my father encouraged it. I used to draw, did glass mosaic and worked with clay. I gave it all away. Back in Florida, when attending craft festivals, I wanted to be on the other side, as an artist.

Here in Venice, I started my own company, Green Earth Creations. I was designing cotton t-shirts and printing them myself, and was also making soy candles. At that time these were acceptable sale items on Ocean Front Walk, and I joined the lottery that was in effect at that time. When I did get a spot, I spent weekends on Ocean Front Walk displaying my creations, but I was still holding on to my corporate job in El Segundo.

BH: What have you done between then and now to address the police sweeps of the house-less population in Venice?

DL: Currently the LAPD is conducting four scheduled sweeps per month: two on Ocean Front Walk and two on 3rd Ave. I am always there, early in the morning, at each sweep, and I act as a buffer between the house-less individuals and the authorities. I mediate and help fill out incident reports. It’s amazing to me how harsh the city is against this vulnerable population.

BH: What legal protections does the house-less population have in this city?

DL: The Venice Justice Committee meets once a month to help people deal with the countless number of tickets the LAPD is handing out in Venice. With the help of an attorney and several dedicated community activists, we provide legal help for people to get their tickets dismissed or to do community service, if they need to.

We try to help people avoid getting warrants and going to jail. What we are dealing with is selective enforcement, the cops target the same people over and over again, giving them the same tickets over and over. Some people have as many as twenty frivolous tickets. The cops are trying to get them out of the area, and they are willing to spend the money to get rid of them by pushing them somewhere else instead of providing them the resources that they need. Each sweep costs $7,500.

BH: Is anything being done to address this discrimination based on economics that is becoming more prevalent in this country?

DL: I am working with the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN) and the Southern California Homeless Bill of Rights to pass The Right to Rest Act, which is part of the Homeless Bill of Rights, which would allow people to sleep, be it on the sidewalk or in their vehicles if they have no other place to go. Carol Liu, Representative from La Crescenta, is sponsoring the Act in the California Senate and it’s gonna happen, it will pass. People need to see house-less people as part of their community, not as “others.�

BH: Last month you were one of five individuals awarded the Young Innovators of Venice Award for your work with the Free Storage program in Venice.

DL: Yes, ironically the recognition came from Mike Bonin’s office, even though personally he’s against expanding the program. Right now the program accommodates 26 people, but we want to expand it to 200. Bonin has repeatedly said that there’s no room in Venice for that. We offered many suggestions, but they were all turned down. A similar storage program has been very successful in Costa Mesa, accommodating 300 people. Initially it was started by churches while the residents, law enforcement and businesses opposed it. Now they all love it. A shower truck and a washing machine truck come twice a week, to serve the people using the storage. Thus they are clean, their clothes are clean, and they are not carrying everything they own with them.

BH: Thank you, Deborah, for all the wonderful volunteer work that you do and for being the magnificent shero that you are here in Venice.

BH: Where were you living at that time?

LG: I was at the hostel on Lincoln, the motel in Ocean Park, and an apartment in Mar Vista. I stopped participating in the lottery for spaces about a year after I started because I could see the conflict, division, corruption and distraction that it was creating. And it pissed off my boss, but I resigned from my corporate job in El Segundo around that time as well. I already knew Diane and Ibrahim Butler and we talked, and decided that we would join forces and camp out by Dudley, in front of the Bistro. With their encouragement and after seeing how they lived, I decided that I could do the same thing they were doing: be vehiclehoused. It was something that I chose for a number of reasons. Inherently it is my right to live my life in an alternative way that gives me freedom from a lot of the socioeconomic trappings that would tie up a lot of my time and take me away from my art and the message I want to share with everyone. I set out to be a voice for others and live in a way that most of society doesn’t understand.

BH: And that’s when you started displaying your art next to Ibrahim?

LG: Yes, my paintings, sculptures. I knew that my artwork and my way of living would have a profound impact and people would come after me and try to stop what I was doing. But living that way kept me protected from certain individuals who might challenge me and the message that I was delivering. They couldn’t take away from me the things they usually go after: your house, your financial reputation, your family. Because of the way I live I had freed myself as much as possible from the constrictions and the idea of what is supposed to matter in America.

BH: Do you feel that you found what you set out searching for when you came to Venice?

LG: I found many of me – quite a few. Yes, without a doubt because I am living my life more authentically, living my truth, and I am using my natural abilities to be creative. The corporate world gave me intimate knowledge of the financial structures in different organizations, and that helped me when speaking out against the mis-use of power. I did a lot of soulsearching and healing in this process. It’s an ongoing process.

BH: Did you find that Venice was the right place for you to come to?

LG: Venice gave me a space to reveal my true self to the world. It is a mystical, intense place, and I am an intense person. It is synchronicity. Venice is love – the strongest power in the Universe. Ocean Front Walk is the front line – or the end of the line.

BH: How has Venice changed in the last eight years that you’ve been here?

LG: I’ve seen a lot of changes in Venice, such as gentrification, especially over the last three years. I’ve seen many people around Venice coming together to stand against injustice – the amount of people now working together is new. Before people were holding grudges against each other and not connecting. Like this person was not talking to this person because of something that happened ten years ago. These were stalemates and digressions. Venice is coming together in crisis, it is phenomenal like that. Now there is more unity and common ground, people are coming together. People are taking care of each other more. People are coming together to have a dialogue not only with each other, but with the planet.

Grassroots movements have sprouted in the last few years, and people are making a difference socially, politically and environmentally in a very positive, non-violent way.

BH: Do you hold hope for our struggles?

LG: Most people would prefer to be humane rather than hurtful and hateful, but there are wounds that we have to heal from, individually and collectively, and in order to do the healing each person has to be willing to face their fears and look inside themselves and resist the urge to only see the problems outside of themselves. Venice can be a place of harmony on Earth. Work on yourself, not on attacking outside of yourself – if you hate anything outside of you it comes from within.

BH: As an artist, do you feel that art plays a part in our individual and collective struggles?

LG: Everyone has the ability to be an artist. Art comes in many facets. It is in the middle of EARTH. The more you tap into your own creativity, the more you understand yourself and the world around you, the more you can heal yourself and live more peacefully. We’re all creating our own reality. Take back the story – control the story! I win because I’m telling the story.

Free Venice Beachhead • March 2015 • 7

UPDATE: Gjelina’s Gjusta, Sauce, Kim’s Market, Rose Cafe

By Roxanne Brown Gjelina’s Gjusta - 320 Sunset (Fran Camaj, owner; Stephen Vitalich, architect) was cited by Building and Safety on December 19 for being in noncompliance. Gjusta has a permit for Bakery/Take-out/ No Eating or Seating on premises. Today is March and Gjusta is still in non-compliance, as it’s been since opening October 2014.

Still no decision on change of use to late night restaurant/bar with full alcohol license. At the November 13 hearing, a parking plan was “missing” and multiple site plans were “confusing.”

LAPD’s Police Captain, Brian Johnson, attended Gjusta’s hearing for change of use on November 13, and told the Zoning Administrator that the LAPD wanted no more liquor licenses in Venice.

The LAPD’s position seems to be in opposition to Bonin’s position. Bonin seems to be advocating for more late night restaurants/bars– more liquor licenses, which results in more crime.

Rather than increasing alcohol outlets and increasing the City budget to hire more police in Venice, Bonin might want to support the LAPD and put a moratorium on liquor licenses in Venice, thus reducing crime and the need for more police, reducing the City budget, and making Venice a safer community.

Sauce - 259 Hampton (Richard Gottlieb, owner; Stephen Vitalich, architect) has a Retail/ Take-out permit, but has operated as a sit-down restaurant for five years with no penalty.

After the city had approved change of use for 259 Hampton from “retail/take out” to late night restaurant/ bar with full alcohol license, providing no parking,

Sauce on residents won a January 7 appeal. Now there will be a rehearing due to a “missing” audio report and two sets of contradictory, “confusing” plans.

Please attend this important hearing. Your support is vital to prevent reversal.

REHEARING APPEAL for 259 HAMPTON’S CHANGE OF USE WEDNESDAY APRIL 1, 2015 @ 4:30 West Los Angeles Planning Commission Henry Medina West LA Parking Enforcement Facility 2nd Floor, Roll Call Room 11214 West Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064

Richard Gottlieb, owner of 259 Hampton, allegedly pushed Ilana Marosi, President of Concerned Neighbors of 320 Sunset (CNS) and appellant, at 259’s Appeal Hearing. The incident occurred on January 7 at the Henry Medina West LA Parking Enforcement Facility and was openly videotaped. A police report was filed. The assault is under investigation.

At 259’s Hearing, a copy of the Conditional Use Permit-Beverage (CUB) application for liquor license was given to the commissioners.

The application form Gjelina’s Gjusta asked whether 259 Hampton was within 1,000 feet of houses of worship, schools, or childcare. Someone answered, “NO.” That’s quite a “mistake” when Hampton’s 200 block contains the historic synagogue, Temple Mishkon Tephilo with pre-school, St. Joseph’s Center with religious services and day care, and two churches.

Kim’s Market - 600 Mildred (Patricia Searle and Michael Stein, owners; Stephen Vitalich, architect) – Kim’s market closed February 25.

Abraham, Joy and their son ran it for 12 years. We hear Searle and Stein will begin running the market and will be trying to convince their customers how wonderful their proposed restaurant with late night hours and full alcohol license will be (providing no on-site restaurant parking – but, possibly valet) at this congested corner, surrounded by residential homes. Their proposed restaurant was not approved by the Venice Neighborhood Council.

Rose Café – 220 Rose (Bill Chait, Kamal Kapur, Manhar Patel, owners) is morphing into a late night restaurant/bar with full alcohol license.

Local media reported that former employees (some with 10 and 20 plus years of service at the Rose Café) were being let go and given no seniority preference when reapplying to work at the new establishment.

After much local public protest, press is now reporting that “employees can work within the Sprout restaurant network” until they reapply at the Rose.

We hear there will Hampton be many more customers and significantly less parking.

The long-time parking attendant told a Rose Café customer that he most likely won’t be rehired as the Rose will have valet parking.

one proposes late night restaurants/bars with full alcohol licenses and no or limited parking three feet to thirteen to fifteen feet (Kim’s, Gjusta, Sauce) from residents’ homes?

Would owners Camaj, Gottlieb, Searle, and Stein or elected officials Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Mike Bonin want a late night restaurant bar to be open seven days a week 3 feet to 15 feet from their or their children’s bedroom windows?

Do these owners not care about the employees who worked so hard to make the Rose Café and Kim’s Market into neighborhood magnets, when owners are willing to toss those employees (who built a loyal customer base) aside?

Under Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Mike Bonin, Los Angeles seems to have turned into the wild Wild West where developers have discovered they can do whatever they want without penalty. Many LA neighborhood associations are suing the City – so many that the City is outsourcing lawyers. Something appears to be very wrong. A “correction” is needed.

It seems Mayor Garcetti’s administration and Councilman Bonin’s office will reward developers and approve a change of use when developers disregard permits and laws and yes, even when there are blatant “mistakes” on application forms.

Meanwhile, Garcetti and Bonin want to extend their terms to 5 ½ years and continue to promote their self-proclaimed campaign of “Neighborhoods first with safe and fun streets.”

Many in Venice are wondering if LA can afford Mayor Garcetti’s and Councilman Bonin’s current terms in office, as City Hall policy seems to have run amok.

GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY: Do unto others as you would have them do onto you?

These new business owners claim to be good neighbors. But, many Venice residents want to know how can one be a good neighbor when

Gjelina’s Gjusta

GreenSceneGardens Garden Maintenance All Organic No blowers info@greenscenegardens.com 310.699.6119 "a responsible maintenance company"

Free Venice Beachhead • March 2015 • 8

Not An Interview With Paul Beethoven

You may have seen him around Venice. Short, stocky, sandy hair, thick glasses. Limping along with duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

Or maybe you’ve noticed him seated on the sidewalk at Rose and Main as he works on his latest Poem.

Perhaps he’s offered to sell you one of his efforts for a buck or two.

His name is Paul Beethoven and this is not an interview with him.

I’ve bought poems from him for several years. They come hand-written on lined, yellow legal-size paper. So one day recently I got the idea it might be interesting to interview this Venice street poet for the Beachhead. I was sure he’d find the experience validating or something.

But when I approached him and asked if I could interview him, he just smiled, pointed to his notebook crammed full with poems, and in a Texas-toned voice said: “If you want to know about me, it’s all in there. I’m in my poems.”

And I realized he was right. The artist is in the art. The rest is just bullshit. I put away my little note pad, realizing I’ve just been taught a valuable lesson.

However, I couldn’t resist one final question.

“How’s business, selling your poems to people?”, I asked.

“Not too good. But some folks show interest and that makes me feel good,” he said, gathering up his belongings to shuffle off into the morning.

– B. Meade

Poem to Philomene Long Up, up and away like a red helium balloon She flies so high as other balloons Just get stuck up in trees Barbed wire or get popped by powerlines!

Fly high disguised as a Nimbus Cloud!

Ramble over hill and dale Til you reach Whimsyland Where all the pink clouds are!

– Paul Beethoven

Indian Paintbrushes A virtual vampires banquet as red blood Sprinkles across the landscape!

Beige peonies all over, and yet, a Few Indian Paintbrushes here and there A half sick joke, a joke name Given as a gratuitous, small gift To an entire race of people Bowed down in humiliation and defeat.

– Paul Beethoven

Happy 85th Birthday and Many More, Earl!

March 23, 2015

earlnewmanprints.com

Thanks for continuing to support the Beachhead - since 1968!

Right: Poet Paul Beethoven at work – Rose and Main Photo by: B. Meade

Free Venice Beachhead • March 2015 • 9

I know a woman

SILENT BELLS

She did her time with each new love of her life – two years with this one one year with that each one taking up valuable time she could have used for herself only when she was older did she realize!

The one she needed to love the most was herself all along she’d been de-luded, de-nuded, de-constructed in the ways of the world who had to be on top who was the boss it was never her finally when she had nothing left to give she decided to give at home – to herself all the love she had been giving out she kept inside for herself a miracle happened: she was happy her will be done: at last.

A thousand years and one summer.

BLACK BUDDHA IN A DARK ALLEY

Today...

The small wooden village church of my grandfather's childhood, Engraved and embellished with a vibrant history of a people, Hidden behind rusting locks and angry steel beams, Closed by government decree, Condemned to the sound of silent bells.

“The jewel of no price which cannot be used up...

Its brilliance illuminates the Universe” – Song of Enlightenment, The Zen Master Yoka Genkaku

– Mary Getlein

Summer Sunday morning...

Pedestrians break the sanctioned stillness of Kiev, Filing past the empty, cold market square to the old woman's house, The criminals hide in her basement, Men, Women, Children, To pray before the makeshift altar, Their tears calling on the spirit of Volodymyr the Great to baptize a captive nation with passionate faith.

Celebrating the secret millennium.

They pray...

In basements, In catacombs, As churches stand garish museums of the spoiler's culture, The silent bells peal resonantly in their hearts.

– Lynette

I've known freedom ....yes I've known freedom...

I remember when the buffalos were plentiful....

Yes I've known freedom....

I TrueLy remember when the horses ran free....

Yes I've known freedom...

I remember when the two spirits were grounded to Mother Earth and loved...

Yes I've dreamed and envisioned the two spirits were reborn to lead the people...

Yes I've known freedom....

With all my prayers....Ashkii Newton Full blood American Indian....

Mind Your Mind

By Ron McKinley Why are we here now Are we here to watch Flowing with the befouling Do you feel it The sense of wrongness When you think about it Does something manifest The taste that will not go away Talk and talk and whisper and whisper Your clothes don’t seem to fit The integument has cracks Light leaks thru sometimes That feeling that tingle in your belly That ripples across your fell The connection that binds all things We have been here before Surveying the suffering and death Mind your mind Work for more than just money Put fire back into your soul More than just sex That just doesn’t last Waiting for the big sleep Don’t forget to feel Entangle with the Cosmos Mind your mind

This Paper Is A Poem

Greetings from Slab City

I had dropped a can of Pepsi in a Venice alley They spray of soda shot up Like the universe exploding Boiling up into the cold sky It was then I saw him Black Buddha in a dark alley He walked with stone solitude Nothing held him Homeless His young face eroded An ebony rock The black night on his tongue He picked up the Pepsi And began to drink “Would you like one that is NOT broken?”

I asked this broken man (This unbroken man).

My voice was an empty echo As the night rolled over my eyes His voice: “Thank you, Ma’am, Thank you, thank you,” His stone face smiling Into the alley resembling a dream Turned the night sky, gold And cut the raging rock of the world

To me this is a strange time.

I am not looking to create a rhyme.

– Philomene Long Would like to talk about my life, turning 69 and not having a wife, not living in Venice anymore, now in places with no need to lock the door.

But reading the stories in the Beach Head, with Pioneer no longer baking bread, all alone and slowly getting old: Hurry back to the Boardwalk before it’s SOLD. – Dusty P. Greenhaus

“Abstractions on a Reoccurring Theme”

By Miles Krumpak Everyone works but Me. The concept simply unattractive what is it that all these people see?

Why even leave the womb?

Heat, shelter, food, a place to sleep…

Men below rake leaves the wind blows constantly from the trees and Sisyphus smiles at great depths knowing that one man is all man and riddles are told just for fun.

The wind is extra strong today much more than yesterday and I suppose this is good for it beckons work and work beckons man and his motorcycle and his rake.

Oh there are so many things I can not understand!

And the thinking makes one go crazy and perhaps envy the man, and the leaves that fall. Gently…

Left: The famous Rose Café, a staple for Venice residents for coffee, delicious food or just plain socializing closed February 7th after 36 years. The new owners intend to keep the café's name as The Rose and the famous Rose exterior.

The staff will be able to apply to return. You may give a boost to help support the staff's return by visiting their Facebook Page... Support Venice's Rose Café Workers.

Photo: Pegarty Long

22:22 Sunday, February 22nd, 2015, Adullam, to George Washington and Edna St Vincent-Millay ..... As good a time as any. Don't you think? The rainy night looks down. Gives me a wink. A rainy night in Hollywood. I guess. It's Oscar night. Academy. Regress. I tried. In vain. To find it. Televised. Oh well. It got away. Was compromised. Of no concern. At this point. Let it go. The winners.

And the nominees. Don't know. Why I felt curiosity. Down-sized. Obscurity. To me. I have surmised. Fits snuggly on my shoulders. I digress. Those old familiar spirits coalesce. Condensed into a raindrop. Down the sink. I'll write them down as fast as I can think (22:33) ..... Roger Houston, post-beat romantic

Poleece in Veneece Police police police in Venice!

Police pick on the homeless kick the ass of the desperate & helpless.

They beat, hogtie mace & kill the poor, minorities & mentally ill.

Our city leaders cry we want to clean up the beach so let em die!

Police searches & sweeps think they're good guys but are creeps!

Prisoners & homeless have no say or vote politicians want to ship em to Antarctica on a boat.

It's so sad & tough life is already cruel, cold & rough being homeless & poor without pigs lockin ya behind a jail door.

Jesus said to care for the sick & poor businessmen & politicians won't help the poor they only want money, more & more.

Our police need to carry food & flowers not guns arresting homeless at all hours.

We need love armies & police the jailing, shootings & searches must cease.

A love police & love armies giving out food & clothes to the poor & crazies.

We don't need no more police brutality give us food, shelter, jobs & hospitality!

Kindness & compassion is the way to give us a brighter day.

Police police police in Venice!

– Moishe Shmendrick

A NEW BEGINNING Jaws clenched.

One fist up in the air.

China doll on the fence.

Heart beat: lub dub, lub dub.

Sound of rib bones cracking, shattering.

Defiance to fill a galaxy.

Ripped underwear.

Desert tortoise out on dry shoulder of highway, making time. Can it all come together?

I strip away paint from the mask, mask from the flesh, flesh from the skull, soul from the sticky lining of God's inner ear.

What has hardened, calcified, can only melt.

Light shines through to night sky as if through holes in Orion's belt.

Drink, at long last, clear water. ☮ -- H A L B O G O T C H

We Survive On Your Donations!!!

This Paper Is A Poem

Free Venice Beachhead • March 2015 • 10

The Official 400th Edition Song The Old Beachhead Words and Music: Sam Clay Additional Lyrics: Suzy Williams Arrangement: Brad Kay 1 st verse In this life we suffer the slings and arrows, While corruption and injustice may block our way.

That’s been our strife since before the kings and pharaohs When questioned what to do, here is what we say…

2 nd verse Nineteen-sixty-eight was a time of turmoil When John Haag and some Venice free spirits said: “We’ll build a people’s paper upon this soil!“ Voila! Chee-wah-wah! The Free Beachead!

3 rd verse Come meet the collective and get to know ‘em The artists, visionaries and scribes Rally round the paper that is a poem And help preserve these fantastical Venice vibes!

Chorus Four hundred times we’ve fought the fights And we’re not giving up yet.

Four hundred times we’ve read our rights The people won’t forget We’ve staked our claim On the sandy plain Dug in at the water’s edge…

We rally around the old Beachhead We rally We rally We rally around the old Beachhead!

Community Event Calendar Wednesday, March 4

• 4:30pm − Coastal Development Public Hearing about 416,48-412 Grand. Henry Medina Parking Center, 1214 Exposition, 90064 • 6-8pm − Finnegans Wake Reading Club − (not Tuesday, voting). Marina del Rey Library, 4533 Admiralty Way.

Thursday, March 5

• 9:30am − VCHC Groundbreaking of new homes, Gateway Apartments, 13368 BeachAv. • 8pm − Maetar, World Groove Eclectic Funk Jazz.

Witzend, $10 cover.

Friday, March 6

• 6pm − First Friday on Abbot Kinney Blvd. food trucks, shops open late, lots of people.

Saturday, March 7 • 10am-2pm – Venice Youthbuild Car Wash Fundraiser. Venice Community Housing, 720 Rose, Venice.

• 5-8pm − Gary Palmer: Robert Berman Gallery.

Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave. B7 Gallery, Santa Monica • 6pm − Corners of the Mouth: A Celebration of Thirty Years at the Annual San Luis Obispo Poetry Festival. 22 poets. Beyond Baroque. $5 • 7pm − National Day of Unplugging. The Electric Lodge. $12-24 • Paddle Tennis Tournament at the beach today and tomorrow.

Sunday, March 8 •

• • •

2pm − Conversations ‘Bout the Girls, Sonia Jackson’s stage play about a woman’s relationship with her breasts and how it’s changed by the world around her. Electric Lodge. $34.

2pm − Soap Box Poets Open Reading. Beyond Baroque. $5 donation.

7:30pm − Featured Reading: Brent Armendinger & Elena Minor. Beyond Baroque. $5 11am-6:30pm − Seeds of Peace: Honoring Water, Source of Life. at Loyola University, 1 LMU Drive, 90045.

Tuesday, March 10

• 8pm − Suzy and Her Solid Senders with vocals by The Jazz Cats. Typhoon, 221 Donald Douglas Loop S, Santa Monica. $10.

Wednesday, March 11 • 9:30am – Public Hearing: 454 E. South Venice Blvd. to construct a 2-unit condo on one parcel.

L.A. City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Room 1020 • 6:30-8:30 – Community Workshop about Alcohol Licenses in Venice: How you can influence the alcohol licensing process in Venice. Oakwood Community Rec. Center. Free.

Thursday, March 12

• 6pm − Doccupy Film Series & Community Discussion/Urban Agriculture & Food Security.

Free organic food at 6pm and the event starts at 7pm. Electric Lodge. Free.

Saturday, March 14

• 11am − Joseph Campbell Roundtable at the Abbot Kinney Library. Free.

• 12-5pm Santa Monica Airport Artwalk, Airport Avenue, Santa Monica. Free.

• 4pm − MESS − Political Author Dave McGowan interview. Unurban. Free.

• 6pm – Mear One Exhibition Opening Reception, Cave Gallery, 1108 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

• 6-8:30pm – Venice Originals Proudly Presents Rocco, Rodney and Jesse. 1525 Pacific.

• 6:30-11 – Save Venice: Fundraiser: food, music and dancing. Venice Street Legends and The Nicknamers. Beyond Baroque. 323-543-5997 • 9:30pm − Peach Blues Band, Witzend. $10.

• Handball Tournament on beach, tomorrow too.

Sunday, March 15

• 4pm − Photo Exhibit Opening, Scenes from the Property: Malibu’s Other Colony. Works by Lita Albuquerque, Jim Fiorito, Steve Kahn. Beyone Baroque. Free.

• 5pm − Hitched: The Poetry of Emerging Counterparts. Beyond Baroque, upstairs, $5.

Tuesday, March 17

• 7pm − Venice Neighborhood Council Board Meeting. Westminster Elementary.

Free Venice Beachhead • March • 2015 • 11

Thursday, March 19

• 6pm − Venice Art Crawl, Westminster and Abbot Kinney Blvd. Free.

• 10pm − Dogtown Artists United Aftercrawl Party.

Winston House. 1285 Electric Ave.

Friday, March 20

• 8pm − Featured Reading: Sarah Estes and Joseph Fasano. Beyond Baroque, upstairs, $5.

Saturday, March 21

• 11am-3pm − Mini-Master Class in “The Poetry of Witness” with Gail Wronsky. Beyond Baroque. $50 registration.

• 5:30pm − Vigil: Venice - Candlelight vigil and procession from Oakwood Park.

• 7:30pm, − The Strands, Witzend, $10.

• 8pm − Lummox Anthology Celebration. Beyond Baroque, $10.

• 11pm − Grunion Party by Venice Oceanarium at the Breakwater. Fun for the whole family with hundreds of sex-crazed fish.

Sunday, March 22

• 5pm − La Poesia Salon: Multilingual Poetry Salon, Beyond Baroque, $5 donation.

• 7pm − 7 Dudley Cinema POLITICAL ACTIVISTS FILMS. Beyond Baroque. Free.

Wednesday, March 25

• 6pm − Chamber Of Commerce Mixer, Electric Lodge. Free.

Saturday, March 28

• 8pm − Border Crossings. Featured Readers: Mylsa Martinez, Bill Mohr, David Shook, Roberto Castillo. Beyond Baroque, $10.

• 5pm − Charity Poker Tournament, Killer Shrimp. 4211 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey

Sunday, March 29 • 6am-3pm – Ninth Annual Spirit Run: Prayer Run done in Indigenous ceremonial fashion. Starts with a Sunrise Ceremony at Ballona Wetlands near Lincoln and Jefferson at 5:30am conducted by Tongva representatives. The Spirit Runners will run carrying their vision and prayers through the Traditional Communities and Sacred Sites of West Los Angeles. At every stop we share ceremonial songs, history, and positive visions for these communities and Sacred Sites. There are 5 segments to the Run and they average between 2-4 miles for a total of approximately 12 miles. One can Run as much or as little as they want.

• 9am – Water Wise Expo, Mar Vista Farmers Market, Venice and Grand View.

• 7pm – presentation and signing by Mark S. Smith, author of "Treblinka Survivor: The Life and Death of Herzl Sperling," about the haunted man who survived seven Nazi concentration camps. Qart.com Gallery, 480 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey. Free.

Location Guide • Abbot Kinney Public Library, 501 S. Venice Blvd. 310-821-1769, fovl.org • Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd.

310-822-3006, www.beyondbaroque.org • Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave. 310-306-1854, electriclodge.org • G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

310-452-2842, theg2gallery.com • Hal’s Bar and Grill, 1349 Abbot Kinney Blvd. 310-396-3105, halsbarandgrill.com • Oakwood Park, 767 California Ave. • Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd, 310-822-8392, pacificresidenttheatre.com • SPARC - Social and Public Art Resource Center, 685 Venice Blvd. sparcmurals.org • Townhouse. 52 Windward.

• Venice High School 13000 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066 (310) 577-4200 • Vera Davis Center, 610 California Ave. 310-305-1865 • Westminster Elementary School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (enter auditorium from Westminster Ave) 310-606-2015 • Witzend 1717 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, California 90291 - 30-702-6765 • Unurban Coffee Shop - 3301 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, 310-315-0056

Get Your Local Event Listed Email the time, date and a brief description to: free@venicebeachhead.org

Ongoing Events OCCUPY VENICE BEACH

• 8pm Mondays General Assembly upstairs at Beyond Baroque • 8pm Sundays People's Potluck at 3rd & Rose.

Feed the People. Volunteer or donate: 424-2092777.

COMPUTERS • 2:30pm, Mon-Fri. Student/Homework Zone.

Computers, iPads, homework resources and a trained computer aide to assist students grade 412. Free Printing. Abbot Kinney Public Library.

• Tues/Weds 8:30-6pm, Thurs/Friday 8:30-5pm.

Free Computer Use. Vera Davis Center.

FOOD • 10am Tuesdays, 12:30pm Thursdays, 1pm Fridays. Free Food Distribution. Vera Davis Center.

• Sign up for Food Stamps (EBT Cards).

Vera Davis Center. Call for date and time.

310-305-1865.

• 4pm Saturdays through Wednesdays. Free Vegetarian Food. OFW & Dudley.

• 1:30pm, Thursdays. Free Vegetarian Food. OFW & Sunset.

KIDS • 11:30am-noon Wednesdays. Toddler Storytime.

Abbot Kinney Public Library. Free.

MUSIC 8pm-12am, Sunday and Monday nights. Hal’s • Bar and Grill features live jazz. No cover.

• 9pm Wednesdays, Venice Underground Comedy, Townhouse, No Cover • 11pm Wednesday - Burlesque, Townhouse, No Cover • 6-10pm, First Fridays. Venice Street Legends.

Venice Bistro, OFW & Dudley. No Cover.

• 8pm Saturdays, Brad Kay Regressive Jazz Quartet, Townhouse. No Cover • 1-3pm Every Saturday and Sunday Free Live Music, Fisherman’s Village, 13755 Fiji Way, MDR 90292 MISCELLANEOUS • 9-4pm, 2nd Saturday, every month.

Venice High School Flea Market. Antiques, crafts, collectibles, toys, jewelry, clothes.

13000 Venice Blvd.

• 7-11am, Fridays. Venice Farmers Market.

Fruits, vegetables, flowers and coffee.

500 North Venice Blvd.

• 4:15pm, every Thursday – Chess Club. Ages 615. All levels welcome. Abbot Kinney Library.

• 11:30am-2:30pm, every Sunday, weather permitting. The Venice Oceanarium (a museum without walls). Venice Pier. Free.

• 8:30am, 2nd Fridays. Bus Token Distribution.

First 40 people in line will receive a free bus token. Vera Davis Center.

• 5:30pm, Sundays. Open Mic Night. Twentieth Church of Christ, Scientist. 132 Brooks Ave. Free.

• 7-10pm, 3rd Wednesdays. MOM: Meditations On Media. Beyond Baroque. Free.

POETRY • 2pm, 2nd Sundays. Soap Box Open Mic. Bring your words, sign up begins at 1:45pm, six-minute limit. Beyond Baroque. Free.

YOGA • Mondays 8-9am Heal One World: Community Yoga, The Electric Lodge. Free.

DANCE Mondays, 1:30-2:30pm Dancing Through Park• inson’s. Electric Lodge. Donation.

ART EXHIBITS

• A Short Essay on Chicano Photography SPARC - call for hours.

• Ben Jackel: American Imperium, L A Louver • Nature Photography, G2 Gallery THEATRE

• “Kalamazoo” at Pacific Resident Theatre until March 8. $25-$30.